What is an “egg”?

In transgender online communities, an “egg” is a metaphor for a person who is believed to be transgender but has not yet realized or accepted it. The term comes from the idea that the person is like an unhatched egg—once they “crack,” they will emerge as their “true” self. This concept is primarily used in MTF (male-to-female) spaces, where gender nonconformity in males is often interpreted as evidence of being a “secretly trans woman.”

Detransitioned individuals—especially women—have criticized this metaphor as misogynistic and reductive. They explain that the “egg” label reduces womanhood to sexist stereotypes (e.g., equating being a woman with “being a chick”) and erases the possibility of simply being a gender nonconforming person. For example, one detrans female shared: “I had someone call me a damn 'egg' because I'm not a stereotypical woman... They think they're being progressive, but they're actually being very misogynistic.” source [citation:25a67f21-0c2f-4893-b0f4-93d472a8b77d]

The metaphor is rarely used in FTM (female-to-male) spaces, where different terminology and pressures exist. Overall, the “egg” concept is seen by many detransitioners as a recruitment tool that pathologizes normal feelings and pressures people—especially youth—toward transition by treating any deviation from gender norms as proof of being transgender.